Second meeting

Trump says he'd like to arrange a second meeting between Zelensky and Putin if Alaska summit goes well

From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury and Alejandra Jaramillo

US President Donald Trump said if his meeting this Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin goes well, he’d like to “immediately” arrange a second meeting and include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“We had a very good call,” Trump said about the virtual meeting with Zelensky and European leaders today.

Trump then went on to discuss potential next steps ahead of Friday’s meeting.

“There’s a very good chance that we’re going to have a second meeting, which will be more productive than the first. Because the first is: I’m going to find out where we are and what we’re doing,” he said.

Trump said that the second meeting would only be arranged if his meeting with Putin “goes OK.”

He’d like the second meeting to be “almost immediately” between Putin and Zelensky, “and myself if they’d like to have me there,” he added.

Trump expressed optimism about the initial meeting with Putin, saying “great things can be gained” and it would be “setting the table for the second meeting.” When asked whether it was his decision to exclude Zelensky from the Friday meeting with Putin, Trump responded: “No, just the opposite.”

Earlier today, Trump met virtually with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Zelensky and other European leaders to discuss his views ahead of the summit with Putin.